Grey Knights
by wayofthepen
Summary: Leaving the Jedi Order with only Ventress to keep her company, Ahsoka's first order of business is to forge new lightsabers for the unlikely duo. Then she can focus on answering the doubts in her heart. And finding a way to pay the bills without the Order's support. And maybe even kill the man she holds responsible for Bariss Offee's betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

The world they'd landed on was hot, dry, and had a pair of stars glaring down – with a third that would come into view in just a few hours. After the darkness of the smuggler's hold, Ahsoka was half-blind as she staggered out, stiff-limbed and sore. A bit of creative cursing told her that Ventress was just a few steps behind.

The two force-users staggered-ran across the loading bays, finding a measure of shade in the first door way they could find, before a group of dockworkers pushed them out of the way and back into the light. A painful look around from between the fingers over their eyes found the stream of passengers and pointed them towards the terminal proper. There were no lights and it needed none, filled with milling sapients and dirty children hawking patched-together eye-shields.

"Well, this is a wretched place."

Ventress was succinct as always, even with her voice distorted by her helmet.

"It's also the best place to find the minerals we need. Not just any kind of crystal will work for what we need."

"And how much are they going to cost us?"

"Why? How are we doing for credits?"

"_I _am nearly broke. I was actually counting on your bounty to keep me going for some time."

"So…we'll look for a bounty here?"

"You don't really think it's that easy, do you?"

"Well…it couldn't hurt to check, right?"

Ventress turned away in a huff, picking and shoving her way past the bodies in the terminal. Ahsoka followed in her wake, stepping up to her side as Ventress found a holonet panel and began scrolling through the menus. What she saw offered for the petty offenders thought to be somewhere on the planet amounted to little more than what the Jedi Order gave her as a stipend when she needed to travel.

Added together.

"Here's something…"

Ventress' idea of 'something' was the last and newest entry. The information was clear. He'd be arriving on-planet in a little over two weeks. A name, face, and even a description of his ship were listed clearly.

Total bounty: 5 million credits.

"What did he do to get a bounty like that on his head?"

"…It doesn't say. Strange. But there aren't many things a person can do to get a listing like this. Not many people who'd be willing to pay out that much, either."

"So…what does that mean for us?"

"It means that every bounty hunter for a hundred light-years is going to show up with all the weapons they can carry and a brilliant plan to grab the mark before every other bounty hunter launches _their_ plan."

"It's no good, then?"

"Not really. We don't have to be the ones who catch him. Just the ones who turn him in."

"…You don't mean, we wait for a bountey hunter to grab him, and then steal him from them? Isn't that a little, I don't know…dishonest?"

The helmet swung towards her. Ventress said nothing, and Ahsoka couldn't see whatever expression she might have been making.

"What? Hey, come back! Where are you going?"

* * *

Ahsoka had endured hardship before. She could live with the dingy accommodations Ventress had found. She took the hint when Ventress threw a blanket at her. They were her credits, so Ventress got the bed. She could even ignore the looks she'd received when two women had checked into the small, single-bed room together.

But she had left the Order. Knew it. Knew she knew it, though it hadn't sunk in completely, yet. She wasn't exactly on her own, but trusted her companion only about as far as she could throw her. But when Ventress had come back with a slightly-larger pile of credits, she felt as if she should have been at least a little upset after hearing 'because he tried to rob me first' as the reason why.

She toyed with a crystal coin between her fingers. She'd been taught about the illusion of wealth. Looking out the window, she saw the reality. Outside of the Temple, people lived and died by the credits to their name. Someone had tried to rob, possibly kill, Ventress for whatever she _might _have been carrying. Now, they had nothing. Would they survive the loss? Would she survive her own poverty? The Jedi were supposed to live apart from others, and be above such things as greed, but even Jedi had to eat. Who handled the Jedi's finances? Was there a senator, a committee, a Master who counted coins?

A part of her wanted to just ignore the contradictions life had showed her and go back to the certainty she'd enjoyed as a part of the order.

Another part of her just wanted a bigger pile of credits.

The train of thought ended when the silver chit dropped and hit the table. Her comm had chirped and told her that the database search was complete, and had located the facilities and materials she's searched for.

At least there was no room for ambiguity when it came to building a lightsaber.

* * *

Ventress would go looking for money. Ahsoka would find the equipment they needed to make new lightsabers, and tried ignore the tiny voice in the back of her mind that wanted to know where the credits came from. That was the deal.

Ventress promised her, with a sigh and a mocking tone, that she wouldn't do anything _bad _to get the credits, and Ahsoka believed her. After being betrayed by her closest friend, she felt desperate to trust _someone_.

It was one more issue she shoved to the back of her mind and she stepped into a machinist's shop and began selecting the mundane parts they'd need. Diatium power cells. Casings – wait, Ventress used curved hilts. Maybe she should consider some kind of custom grip for her own lightsabers? Rivets, rings, high-capacity wires…

It took her all of ten minutes. This was the easy part.

Next, she took a flyer to the rim of a partially-active volcano, where cables and drills dangled from floating foundries above a sea of lava. Like jellyfish feeding on passing sealife, they drew minerals up through the cables and into their guts to be processed and shipped out.

Ahsoka knew enough to be sure that the crystals they harvested here were completely unsuited to what she and Ventress needed. Their structure wouldn't be uniform, or there would be impurities that would crack the crystal under the strain of channelling a plasma charge, or any of a hundred other factors. Only a crystal formed in places where the force was strong would be pure enough for their needs.

But she couldn't go to such a place. She'd have to fake it, through meditation and force of will while the minerals she purchased here baked in a geological compressor. The foreman she talked to was surprisingly helpful in that regard, asking far less than the hefty price she expected for the use of his equipment, in exchange for the prestige of helping to create a Jedi's weapon.

That was one issue settled.

Yes. Even if she had left the order, she was still a Jedi.

Make that two.


	2. Chapter 2

Ahsoka winced as the scream echoed throughout the room, ducking on reflex as something went flying past. Ventress was seething, her fingers clawing at an imaginary throat. Ahsoka stood and sighed, her own concentration broken.

In front of them sat two squat machines, the geological compressors that would take the minerals they had provided and form suitable crystals. All that was required of them was concentration as they guided the crystal's development with the Force. But after the third attempt, neither had anything to show for their efforts but a few misshapen blisters of carbon and silicon.

Ashoka opened the compressor's access panel with a wave of her hand and pulled out her own attempt, grimacing at the blast of intense heat. She'd seen better results from the 501st after they'd pounded a beach into a plain of broken glass with prolonged blaster fire.

"This…is…impossible!"

"No, it's not. All it takes is focus. We're just too off-balance to form the crystals prop-"

"I _am_ balanced! I _am_ focused! I _am_ going to make my lightsabers and use them to cut Dooku into a thousand tiny pieces! I will…I will…"

"Well…" Ahsoka levitated her own malformed crystal for Ventress to see. "It looks like we both have our problems."

The crystal went into the disposal, and Ahsoka turned back to the case of powdered minerals, consulted the datapad that listed the amounts and ratios of the elements she needed, and made a few notes of her own. The compressor beckoned, but Ahsoka held off on placing her newest mixture inside.

"All it takes is focus...but I can't. I haven't been able to since Bariss betrayed me. I lost her, and the Order, and…I lost myself. I'm trying to control the Force, and I can't even control my own thoughts."

Ahsoka shut the compressor and sat back on the rough pillow she'd been sitting on for hours, now.

"I'm not even sure why I want to make a lightsaber. I wouldn't even know what to do with it."

"I do. Destroy the ones who betrayed you."

"I…don't want revenge. When I was…still a Jedi…I had something to fight _for. _Something…bigger than myself. I had a…certainty of purpose that I just don't have anymore, and I don't know how a lightsaber is going to help with that."

"How _can't _a lightsaber help you? It's a weapon. If something doesn't make sense, if something is in your way, cut it down. Making sense of things can come afterwards."

"I do…want things…to make sense again." Hesitantly, Ahsoka gripped the canister of minerals to her chest, bowing her head. She turned, a slow and smooth motion, and the canister moved, and the compressor opened. "I want answers. To know _why_. Maybe it's not as simple as hitting something with a lightsaber, but…they are going to help. Even if just as a means to an end, I suppose."

The compressor closed, and Ahsoka composed herself on the pillow, arms and legs crossed.

"Ventress?"

"What?"

"What do you want?"

"For a start? To kill Dooku."

"Why?"

"What kind of…he betrayed me!"

"…Why? Why did he do it?"

"Because…I failed him. I was weak, and he…abandoned me. But I'm going to show him how much of a mistake that was. I will become stronger and more powerful than he could ever hope to become, and I will erase my failure when I kill him."

Silently, Ventress assembled a fresh batch of minerals. She approached her own compressor and shoved the canister inside, stubbornly ignoring the infernal heat through the power of the Force.

Ventress was not an easy person to talk to, on any day. But right now, something told Ahsoka that there was a chance...that she _needed_ to push Ventress _right now_.

"And then what?"

"What?"

"Assuming you kill Dooku. What will you do afterwards? Do you have plans?"

"Plans? Like what? Settle down, in some tiny colony and what, run a farm?"

"Just bounty hunting, then?"

"That's just…a means to an end. It's money. Power. Respect. A challenge." Ventress sat on her own pillow, glaring at the mineral bath through the plasteel hatch. "A way to become stronger."

"You hate it, don't you?" For a moment, comprehension dawned. "Feeling weak and without purpose?"

Ventress' head snapped around to glare at her. It was a look of challenge, and Ahsoka felt the press of her anger. Behind it, there was a tiny wisp of shame. It hid behind fury and begged for a chance to send the anger forth, to destroy any trace that it existed at all.

The force of Ventress' anger was palpable, and Ahsoka met it with a sad smile.

"I guess that's another thing we have in common. It's only really a question of how we try to find what we need, isn't it?"

Ventress' anger evaporated, and she knit her brows in momentary confusion as Ahsoka turned and activated her compressor. Ventress had never been in a position where she was hope-_expecting_ Ahsoka to speak up, and she glanced at the togruta out of the corner of her eye as she turned back to tend to her own crystal.

Hours later, the room had remained quiet but for the hum of machinery.

The two women sat silently, their posture calm and still. Their thoughts were clear, and the Force flowed freely.


	3. Chapter 3

It was time. They'd prepared as best they could, trying to find as much information on the target as possible. They'd even had a few close calls with other bounty hunters slicing the same computer systems, and stumbled across a few ambush sites being set up in town.

But then, tapped into the starport's sensor system, Ahsoka and Ventress knew that their target might not even make it to the planet. In the same moment that the target's transceiver signal began broadcasting after his ship emerged from hyperspace, a half-dozen orbiting ships turned and rushed to attack. In the next moment, they turned and fled at maximum burn.

"What?"

"Hang on…" Ahsoka tapped a few buttons, and tried to bring up a hologram. "The signal's the right one, but the ship's silhouette is all wrong. It's not a civilian transport, it's…"

Floating merrily above her wrist in holographic profile was a Venator-class star destroyer. A tiny beep announced the arrival of two more, and they flew towards the planet in parade-worthy formation.

"What is the Republic doing here?"

"I don't know! I thought this system was still neutral."

"Well, it looks like they just choose a side."

"Doesn't make any sense…let me try to find out what's going on."

Ventress went back to pacing, while the sliced connection between Ahsoka's comm and the spaceport computer registered chatter between the planet and the fleet. Broadcast from the bridge of one of the destroyers, the face of their 5 million-credit bounty stared back, chatting with an official from this world's government.

And he was wearing an admiral's uniform.

* * *

"You're not seriously thinking of actually…"

She was hooded, Ventress was masked, and there were plenty of people between them and the column of clone troopers marching past. Even so, Ahsoka felt terribly conspicuous.

"I just think we ought to take a look, that's all. See what we're up against."

"We are up against the _Republic_!"

"I've beaten the Republic before, remember? You were there."

"Ha ha. Ventress, this is an admiral we're talking about. Even if, and I do mean _if_, we decide to go after this guy, the Republic will send an _army _to get him back. At least now we know why they didn't put his name in the bounty listing."

"Yes…A nice little scheme that turned out to be."

"What do you mean?"

Following the clone escort as far as they could, Ahsoka and Ventress soon hit a solid wall of bodies in front of a security cordon enclosing the courtyard of an official-looking building. Ahsoka watched the target disappear inside, while Ventress was busy scanning their surroundings.

"Not many bounty hunters would go after such a high-profile target. I imagine most have already left the system. But a few will have stayed, the bravest, the most skilled, and the most desperate…the ones willing to take the time to see if they can actually pull it off. After all…"

Ventress gestured upwards, and Ahsoka followed the motion with her gaze. On a balcony above them, there was a group of armed people whom were certainly not tourists that were also studying the more obvious security measures the building possessed. A second motion pointed her to a similarly-observant trio in the crowd a stone's throw away,

"They're already here, with plans for a kidnapping in place, and with so many other bounty hunters around…"

"Then someone might give them a distraction they can take advantage of. Or the reinforcements they need to take on a clone detachment."

"_Very_ good. I didn't think Jedi were capable of being even a little devious."

"You're a bad influence on me, Ventress."

She laughed. Barely more than a chuckle, hidden and distorted by her helmet, but it was there…and then it stopped.

There was a second procession coming up the street. Ahsoka knew the clanking steps of the B1 battle droids by heart, but it was the figure at the front of the procession that made her blood freeze. Count Dooku himself led the march, and Ahsoka had no idea what he could possibly be doing here…but by the prickling on her skin, she had something else to worry about. Hatred was pouring out of Ventress in waves, a sensation that coated her as thick and weighty as the cloak she wore. And if she could sense it, then…

Dooku lost a fraction of his cultivated expression, no longer taking in his surroundings with polite appreciation. He had sensed hatred directed towards him, and Ahsoka reached out and grabbed Ventress' arm the moment she started to step forwards.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't even think of trying to stop me, Ahsoka."

Ventress' hands dropped to her belt, and Ahsoka could see the challenge in her eyes clean through the helmet she wore.

"Think about what you're doing! There's no way you could win!"

Her frustration only intensified, and Dooku's own hand shifted almost imperceptibly towards his own lightsaber. He hadn't openly dropped the pretense of ignorance, but to the two force-users, it was clear he was actively scanning the crowd for whatever was threatening him.

"Calm. Down."

Dooku was as close to them as his path would allow, and his gaze turned towards them. Ventress tensed in her grip, but Ahsoka could feel her emotions being reigned in. Ventress took her hands away from her belt and pulled away from Ahsoka's grip, pushing through the crowd. Thankfully, in the direction of their hotel room.

Dooku's brow momentarily knit in confusion, but he continued on his way. Ahsoka stayed just long enough to note that he wasn't about to attack them before leaving to chase after Ventress.

* * *

Ventress had rushed out of sight, but Ahsoka simply followed the trail of terrified people and looked for the source of the screaming. Ventress' hands were open and bleeding, dents and bloody smears on the walls of the alley she was crouching in. Ahsoka hesitated at the entrance. Ventress was, traveling companion or no, a dangerous individual whose depths of anger Ahsoka had only begun to gauge.

Another scream, another dent in the brickwork, another bloody smear.

Ahsoka stepped forwards slowly, while Ventress spent the last of her anger pounding on the wall she leaned on. She was carefully in stay in sight, and didn't approach too closely until the rhythm of impacts slowed, faltered, and finally stopped. Ventress turned and let her body fall against the wall, sliding to the ground. Ahsoka waited, her senses open, until the morass of Ventress' emotions reached a fragile balance, before stepping closer and reaching out.

"I think…I understand what you're feeling."

"Don't you **dare** patronize me…"

Ventress reached for the lightsabers on her belt with bloody hands, and Ahsoka tried to pick her words very, very carefully.

"Barriss and I were friends. We were as close as two Jedi could be. Maybe…even more. Finding out that she had betrayed me took something away that I want _back. _I keep asking myself if I should have done something differently, or even if I…deserved it somehow, but that's not right. _She _betrayed _me. _But no matter what I do, she's there, in my head, whenever I try to get back what I lost, and I _hate _it. You keep telling me how much you need to kill Dooku? Fine. I'll help. But I need something from you."

"Anything."

"Trust."

Ventress looked up at the extended hand, and the trace of a tear on the face of the girl offering it.

"I want to be able to trust someone again. I don't want what Barriss did hanging over me forever. Can I…trust you, Ventress?"

The masked woman didn't resist as Ahsoka helped her to her feet.

"C'mon. Let's get those hands looked at."

* * *

It was a long, silent journey to the nearest clinic, and there were no more words between them that night as Ventress, having never taken off her helmet, crawled carefully into bed and fell asleep a moment later. Ahsoka stayed up a little while longer, trying to find more information on what was going on. A Republic fleet meeting a Separatist envoy in a neutral system…

There it was. There had been a major shift in the battle-lines between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent System. The war was coming here, and both groups were trying to court an alliance with the coalition of species and trade groups that controlled these sectors. Whichever group managed to court their allegiance would enjoy access to hyperspace lanes and resources that would give them an overwhelming advantage in this area of the galaxy.

But the admiral? That was another matter. The Separatists would happily jump at any chance to capture such a high-ranking Republic officer, but they weren't in the habit of posting bounties on them. It took her hours of dredging the Holonet, going back and forth from diplomatic channels to anti-war forums, chasing down any mention of his name.

Admiral Nelson was wanted by the Confederacy for war crimes committed during action on the planet Chromisto. Several other officers of the 428th legion were also charged with various offenses, including its Jedi commander.

Barriss Offee.

It had been her last assignment before her betrayal of the Jedi Order.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking was slow and…pointy? Something was prodding her side, and Ahsoka mumbled and tried to shake it away. She found herself falling, and after more than a bit of reorientation after banging a montral on the floor, realized she'd fallen asleep in a chair.

"Breakfast and a show. This place is better than I expected."

Ahsoka's reply was something like 'mnmmrgl.' She pulled herself back up, frowning at the puddle of drool on the table her head had been resting on, and tried to stretch the knots out of her limbs. Ventress was scavenging for food in the alcove that passed for the room's kitchen. Surprisingly, her helmet had been set aside for the first time that Ahsoka could remember.

"Could you do that again, outside? You might earn enough credits for us to afford lunch."

Credits.

Bounty.

**Nelson**…

Awake and aware, the memories of last night's studies came roaring back. Ahsoka had searched the holonet for any scrap of information on what might have happened to make Barriss betray her…and the Order. Setting aside Republic propaganda, wasting little time with sanitized news-feeds and taking the postings on the anti-war forums with a hefty dose of salt, there was very little of Barriss' military record available. What she did find always came with a single name attached.

Admiral Nelson.

"Get your things. We have an Admiral to track down."

Without the helmet, Ventress' expression of surprise was clear.

"And what about the army you were so worried about?"

"I told you, I want answers. Something made Barriss turn her back on the Order. I did some digging last night. It seems that the Admiral has a reputation. Once you get away from the official sources, there's a lot of talk about 'collateral damage.' Scorched-earth tactics, orbital bombardments…most of it is rumor and Separatist propaganda, but he was in charge of fleet operations and attached to the 428th. It was the legion Barriss was in command of."

"So you think that watching him take potshots at the Separatists pushed her over the edge?"

"Maybe…I don't know. That's why I'm going to find him, and…ask him."

"Well, that should clear things right up, then." Ventress abandoned the kitchen and sauntered over to where Ahsoka was collecting her measly belongings, leaning closer as she spoke. "And depending on what he says, what exactly are you prepared to do about it?"

Ahsoka half-turned and found Ventress' face looming over her, her smile predatory. Ahsoka looked away, and found a lightsaber in her hand. It looked much like her first, blunt and utilitarian, though she'd taken a cue from Ventress and added some slight curves and ridges to the hilt. The new grip fit nicely in her hand, and she was squeezing it tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. Ahsoka forced herself to relax, hooking it to her belt and taking a deep breath.

"Well, you did promise to help with _my _problem…" Ventress flipped her own lightsabers over in her hands. They had lost the banded pattern, but were much the same as Ahsoka remembered. "I suppose it's only fair to help you with yours…however you want to solve it."

Ahsoka stood very still, and Ventress slung a pack over her shoulder as if she didn't have a care in the galaxy. She hovered at the door with a hand over the controls, looking back at the former Jedi.

"Ready?"

Ahsoka's hands rested on her lightsabers, and her voice was quiet.

"Yes."

* * *

"Just out of curiosity, how _do_ you intend to get close enough to the Admiral to 'talk to him?"

Hooded and masked, the two were once again weaving through the streets. The foot traffic was thinner without the spectacle of the arriving delegations, but it wasn't so sparse that they didn't want for bodies to duck behind if a security patrol began to look their way.

"I was browsing the holonet chatter regarding the debate when I saw something. It seems the local trade guilds wanted some advice that didn't come from the Republic or Separatist military. They called in a senator from a world they do a lot of business with, and she's also one of the biggest voices in the Senate for a peaceful resolution between the Republic and the Separatists. She's arriving today."

"And how does that help us?"

"She's a friend of mine."

"That's not saying much."

It took a moment for Ventress to realize that Ahsoka had fallen behind. Beneath the hood, the smile that had been slowly growing compressed into a line and Ahsoka's eyes were hard when Ventress looked back.

"She _will_ help me."

The words were pushed through gritted teeth, and Ventress sensed they were less a statement as they were a reassurance to the speaker's nerves.

Ahsoka continued on towards the spaceport without a word, and Ventress fell in step behind her, for a change. Ventress had never been terribly empathic, but the more time she spent with the former Jedi, the clearer Ahsoka's thoughts and feelings were to her. It was a familiarity she'd not felt with anyone, not since…

No.

She would not visit that memory again unless she must. Ventress would never know betrayal again, and to do so was as simple as never trusting anyone again. She had her new lightsabers. She could ditch the brat at any time. She was only sticking around because there might be money to be made here.

That was all there was to it, and she'd rather it stays that way.

* * *

The ship was a Consular-class, marked in the diplomatic red of a Republic ambassadorial transport. This was a private docking port, but the security was nothing to the two force-users. They crouched away from the sun, high above the platform, and neither could resist a twinge of envy as a cooled, covered transport floated up and waited for the passengers to disembark.

The first to exit were a group of Senate Guardsmen, blue robes billowing in the wind. They were followed by an equally blue-skinned girl who didn't look much older than Ahsoka.

"Chuchi!"

The guards and the girl looked up and around at the cry. Ahsoka effortlessly dropped the nearly thirty meters to the platform, rose from the crouch she'd landed in, and began walking forwards nonchalantly.

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka!" Chuchi broke out from behind the line the guards had formed, and she ran forwards to meet the Jedi. "I was looking everywhere for you! After the trial, I wanted to see you, but the Order said you'd left and-"

"I had to. There were…things…I had to sort out."

"…I'd heard that you and Barriss were very close. I'm sorry. I still can't believe how she could have ever done something like that to you."

Ahsoka tried not to flinch when Chuchi put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That's…kind of why I'm here. I'm trying to find out what made Barriss betray the Order, and I…I need a favor."

"Anything."

The confidence in Chuchi's voice made Ahsoka smile and relax. She hadn't been wrong about her, after all.

"Without access to Republic military channels, I can't get any solid information on Barriss' service record. I was hoping that if I could see what she'd been through, or…talk to people that knew her, that maybe…"

"I'll get you anything you need, Ahsoka. In fact, I think the Admiral who is part of the negotiations was attached to her command. The Separatists have put a massive bounty on his head, so I'm sure he'll be glad to have you around."

Chuchi took that moment to look back at the guards who were trying to get her attention, which prevented her from seeing the guilty look on Ahsoka's face. The two turned and began heading for the transport, and if Chuchi saw her friend shiver, blamed it on a gust of chilled air.

"I know I'm glad to see you. Master Skywalker already stopped an attempt on my life that came just hours after the trade guilds asked for my presence here."

"You've talked to Anakin? Did he say any-what?! Someone tried to kill you?"

"Just as I was transferring to the Republic transport. An assassin was lying in wait. Thankfully, Master Skywalker and Master Plo-Koon were there as well."

"Why would someone want to kill you?"

"It's these negotiations. Whichever side gains the support of the trade guilds and the hyperspace lanes they control will gain a major strategic advantage." After a moment's hesitation, Chuchi lowered her voice and continued. "I've already publicly stated that I'll be advising the guilds to remain out of the war, and we both know who wouldn't want that."

"This place doesn't do much business with the banking clans, I take it?"

"They've no reason to. The guilds have wealth and industry enough to be almost totally self-sufficient. But Pantoran Intelligence suggests that getting involved in the war would give the clans the chance they need to move in and bleed this sector dry."

The senate guards were waiting patiently in a double-row for the senator and her guest, and Ahsoka shied away from the blank-visor stares she was forced to walk between.

"Ah, that's much better."

Chuchi had begun to sweat heavily after just a minute in this world's heat, and Ahsoka glanced at her out of the corner of her eye as Chuchi ran a cloth over her face and down her neck. After close to a week in a dingy hotel with Ventress, there was nothing like a proper cooling system…

"Oops…"

"What is it, Ahsoka."

"I almost forgot…" Ahsoka leaned outside, waving her arm. "Sorry! You can come down now!"

Chuchi startled when a masked woman landed heavily just a few meters away, and her guards once again made a line between the ambassador and the newest arrival.

"It's all right!"

"Who is that?"

"She's…traveling with me. I'll vouch for her."

The guards reluctantly stepped aside at a few words from Chuchi, and the newcomer scrambled onto the transport and immediately hunched over the largest refrigeration vent.

"I was beginning to think you'd leave without me."

Chuchi frowned slightly at the voice-distorting mask, looking up and down at Ahsoka's companion. She had a slim but wiry frame, and had walked past the guards with a cocky arrogance in her stride. The thing that instantly drew Chuchi's attention, however, was the lightsabers on her belt.

"You're a Jedi as well?"

The mask transmitted a sound that might have been a snort or snarl, but it was quickly cut off when Ahsoka elbowed the speaker. Chuchi turned to ask Ahsoka, but the Jedi couldn't hold her gaze and shifted nervously in her seat.

"Can I at least ask your name?"

"No."

Chuchi scowled as much as her ingrained diplomatic training would allow, and focused back on the fidgeting Ahsoka. On one hand, Ahsoka clearly wanted the other woman to be near, but grew more and more uncomfortable as other paid closer scrutiny to her. Or paid closer scrutiny to the two of them? Maybe she'd been watching too many holos, and couldn't completely prevent cracking a smile when she fished in her thoughts for something to break up the tension.

"So…girlfriend?"

Ahsoka's expression went from nervous, to baffled, to horrid realization. The masked woman went rigid for a moment before shuddering, and not in any kind of pleasant way.

"WHAT? No! How could you even think…with her…and me? And-"

Ahsoka broke off when Chuchi couldn't hold back the mischievous grin any longer. Chuchi received a very good attempt at a disapproving glare from Ahsoka in return, but at least she seemed to be more relaxed now.

"It's just…I owed her a favor for helping me during the trial. For now, we're traveling together."

And now Ahsoka was back to fidgeting. The lack of confidence in her body language was easy enough to understand – after everything that had happened to her, she must have been feeling lost, lost enough to leave the Order with no real plan on where to go or what to do. Chuchi wondered if she could help Ahsoka make a decision somehow. Maybe she could offer her a position on Pantora? Having a Jedi as a bodyguard was certainly appealing…she'd have to find the right moment to make the offer.

"The senate was desperate for _someone_ to be convicted. They didn't want to appear weak in the face of 'Separatist Terrorism.' Other than your Master and Senator Amidala, I was worried there was no one else looking out for you."

Chuchi extended a hand and waited, the mask dipping slightly as the wearer considered it. Slowly, the mysterious female reached out. It felt very much like she wasn't in the habit of shaking hands.

"So what brings you two here?"

"I came here to help her make new lightsabers, after they were lost while trying to help me. I…"

Ahsoka froze. By the dawning realization in Chuchi's eyes, she knew she'd made a terrible mistake. Ventress knew it too, and a gentle squeeze was enough to turn a friendly gesture into an iron-clad hold. None of the women moved, and for a few moments, it was if they had forgotten to breathe.

Internally, Ahsoka was screaming. Of course Chuchi would have access to the most detailed files regarding what had happened. There were only so many pale-skinned lightsaber-wielding women involved, right?

Even if she didn't fully understand the situation, Chuchi plainly saw the utter terror in Ahsoka's eyes when she tore her eyes away from the Sith – Ventress – to look at her friend.

"Well…" What little she knew of the Sith sitting across from her was enough to make her blood run cold, and Chuchi tried to push the words she'd been meaning to say earlier through suddenly dry lips. "However it happened, I'm glad you were in a position to help her. …Thank you."

The three were still for a few moments longer, until Ahsoka's hand tentatively moved to touch Ventress' leg. Chuchi dared to look down, and seeing the surprisingly gentle gesture only added to her confusion. Weren't they enemies? Hadn't they tried to kill each other a dozen times over the course of the war? What could Ahsoka possibly be thinking?

The pressure on Chuchi's hand vanished. Ventress's hand withdrew to rest on Ahsoka's, and it stayed there until Ahsoka took her hand back and placed it in her lap, ignoring every silent request from Chuchi to look at her once again. Ahsoka's eyes were firmly fixed on some distant, imaginary point, and for the rest of the trip to th embassy, the only presence or motion she didn't tense up at were those that came from the Sith at her side.

There would be a time they wouldn't be watched, when they could speak privately. Until then, the only thing Chuchi could do was wait, and worry.


	5. Chapter 5

Over time, Chuchi was beginning to seriously consider the possibility that Ventress was not here to assassinate anyone. She'd obediently stayed at Ahsoka's side, been scanned for hidden weapons without complaint, and the first thing she'd done after being shown to her quarters was to run herself a bath. This left Chuchi able to have a long-overdue talk with her friend. After scanning the room for bugs, of course. And once that was done…

"What were you THINKING?!"

Ahsoka cringed at the sound, and dropped the bag holding what little she owned at the foot of her bed.

"She's a separatist war criminal!"

"I _can_ hear you, you know."

Chuchi ignored the voice that drifted out of the bathroom and kept her focus on Ahsoka.

"Wasn't there _anyone_ else you could have turned to?"

"No."

The response was so quiet, Chuchi almost missed it. Ahsoka let herself drop onto the bed, and held her head in her hands.

"There wasn't anyone else. The Order declared me guilty without a trial. My master couldn't do anything to stop them. Everyone I knew…They couldn't or wouldn't help me." Ahsoka laughed. She tried to, at least. It broke off into a cough, and her voice was cracked as raspy when she continued. "Except for her. Except for my worst enemy. I…I owe her my life."

Chuchi sat down beside her. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but no words came that she could say honestly. When her friend's life was on the line, she, a senator, had been absolutely powerless in a room full of bitter old rich men who'd send an innocent to the gallows if it meant keeping people voting for them.

"I wish…I do wish there was more I could have done. I often imagined Master Skywalker bursting in through the skylight and carrying you away…"

Ahsoka's lips twitched, and for the first time since the transport time, her eyes flickered towards Chuchi.

"The courtroom didn't have a skylight. I checked."

"Well, then you'd have gotten out through a ventilation shaft. You know, they've never gotten around to making them impossible for people to crawl through."

That drew her eyes upwards, and Chuchi was able to look her friend in the eyes. They were red, and wet, and filled with a pain that had no one to be shared with.

Chuchi wrapped her arms around Ahsoka, and the fallen padawan returned the gesture. She held on tightly, and Chuchi would only let go long enough to occasionally reach up and wipe away the tears.

* * *

Ventress was almost purring when she stepped out of the bath. Working under Dooku, she'd become accustomed to a certain level of luxury waiting for her between missions. Really, when it was time to steal a ship, she'd have to have a look at the interior first.

She closed the door to her private room and whirled with both lightsabers already in hand when someone turned on a light. The little blue senator was resting in a chair, looking a bit haggard around the edges.

"What do _you_ want?"

"You."

"I don't recall ordering _room service._"

"Ventress, was it? I've spent the better part of my life listening to the petty spite and sniping of bureaucrats and politicians, so if you plan to mock me I _suggest_ bringing a better class of snark to the table."

Ventress could count on one hand the people who would not be genuinely intimidated by her, fluffy bathrobe or not. Ventress closed the distance between them, but this Chuchi didn't even twitch and didn't look away for even a second when the tip of a lightsaber pressed into her ribs.

"Imagine that. A politician with a spine."

"Keep on it. I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

Her sneer of approval was the last Chuchi saw of her before Ventress ducked behind a screen and began changing.

"So where's Ahsoka?"

"Sleeping, finally. When the negotiations are over, I hope she'll come back to Pantora with me."

"Lovely for her. And why does this concern me?"

"Because…she was right. When my friend was in danger, I was powerless and couldn't do anything to help her. But you could, and you did. Thank you."

The silhouette behind the screen paused for a moment.

"We had a deal. That was all."

"But you didn't _have_ to make a deal with your worst enemy, did you? Why? Why did you help her?"

"Because it amused me."

"_Senator_. Try putting a _little _effort into lying to me."

Ventress stepped back into sight, wearing a sheer silken nightgown that likely cost as much as a small ship – she'd mangled the belt to the point that it could hold her lightsabers.

"Why would you even care?"

"Because until she's with _me, _she's going to be with _you. _And I need to know if I can trust you with her."

"You can't. Ahsoka couldn't give me what she promised for my help, so I dragged her here for a new pair of lightsabers. Considering the bounty on that Admiral…and Dooku being here…I might get the chance to use them sooner than I expected. I'm glad I stuck around, though. Not everyone can get a senator to escort them past security."

"You're evading. What is it you're so afraid to admit?"

"Sith have no fear. And we don't have much in the way of patience, either."

"She's depending on you, you know. Her entire world hangs by a thread and I already failed my friend once, Ventress, so I will stay here until I find out where you stand. Right now…it's the only thing I can do for her."

Ventress face was partially hidden in the dim light, and the Sith was the one to break eye contact first, and step further into the shadows.

"When I met Ahsoka on Coruscant, I knew she could never deliver on what she offered. She was desperate. Fishing. But…she was right about one thing. We both understood betrayal. We were both…lost. Heh. You know, I just realized. All those little pep-talks she'd been spouting, they were never for _my _benefit."

Ventress didn't turn around. She didn't trust the darkness to hide her face.

"I will not betray Ahsoka's trust. But I promise nothing else."

The room was briefly illuminated when the door opened, and Chuchi left without another word, leaving the Sith alone to sleep and dream.

They were old, painful dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

When Ahsoka awoke, she felt…a little lighter. The bed was soft and comfortable, and the light streaming through the window was warm on her skin. Compared to her old chamber at the temple, it was luxurious, but the furnishings had nothing to do with how she felt.

It was good to see Chuchi again. She was a friend that was there for her when she needed it. It was a nice little measure of what she'd known…before.

Pulling herself out bed, Ahsoka was almost afraid she'd imagined last night, and it was an immense relief to find Chuchi outside. The senator greeted her and waved her over, gesturing to an empty place at the table. After months of living on Republic Army rations, Ahsoka starting drooling at the scent of the food set out, the kind that only a senator could afford.

"You really look like an idiot in the morning, you know?"

Ahsoka stared. She saw it, didn't believe it, and looked again. Yep, still there.

Ventress was relaxing in a chair set across the table from Chuchi and eating breakfast. She wasn't sneering, or promising death with a glare, or doing anything even remotely Sith-ish. She seemed pretty relaxed and came off as less evil in general, actually.

"…Ventress?"

"What's wrong?"

Chuchi glanced at the two of them. Even after last night, and what little she'd pulled from Republic Intelligence regarding Ventress, she was still more than a little worried about Ahsoka's choice of traveling companions.

"Ah…"

"Give her a minute."

"I just expected…scorch marks? Or maybe some shouting?"

"Ventress and I talked last night, and we…reached an understanding."

"Oh."

There was something she was missing, she was sure of it. Really. This entire situation was just bizarre. As the pause threatened to drag on, Chuchi began piling some food on her plate, and the togruta's stomach growled as soon as the scents hit her nose.

Whatever it was, it could wait. Ahsoka stumbled into the chair and began digging in. Between mouthfuls she took surreptitious glances at the other two women in the room. Chuchi was eating with practiced grace, while Ventress' ever-present mask of indifference couldn't begin to hide how much she was enjoying the meal. The senator spoke between bites, making up for lost time and asking about how things had been after they'd parted ways. Ventress didn't look at either of them, but there was a strange sense of…attentiveness…coming from her, and it didn't come with the usual feeling of being dissected-with-a-glance that Ahsoka usually felt from her.

Once breakfast was over, Chuchi brought out what information she'd been able to acquire on Admiral Nelson. It wasn't much, and she shared with Ahsoka her suspicions that the Republic Senate were dragging their feet when it came to giving out the information she'd requested.

It was nowhere near the more personal information Ahsoka was hoping for, but it did fill in a lot of blanks. The Campaign to take the Chromisto system had been a bloody one, filled with setbacks, unexplained failures in communication, and conflicts between commanders.

Gross mismanagement and corruption among their highest levels of government had left their economy in shambles, and the Chromistians had nominally sided with the Separatists in exchange for relief supplies. Chromisto Prime hadn't anything to offer the war effort, but they were straight in the path of the Republic advance, and before the Republic's main battle line moved any further, Admiral Nelson had apparently strained the necessity of ensuring every Separatist-aligned planet was properly…pacified.

Pacification had involved orbital bombardment of the few pieces of infrastructure that still worked to keep the population alive, repeatedly moving massive numbers of the populace to seemingly random locations, heavy-handed police action, and an all but shoot-on-sight policy regarding citizens without proper identification. Many commanders were apparently fully cognizant of just how bad the situation had become, but any attempt at re-organization was stifled by contradictory orders from higher up.

'Charlie Foxtrot' as Rex might say…in polite company.

This being the Republic, no one had stepped up to take blame for the whole fiasco, and with so many mistakes to go around, the Senate would have to court-martial half the command structure if they wanted to nominate a scapegoat.

Ahsoka looked up from the tablet. She'd shown a better grasp of tactics the first day on the job, so how did career military manage to pull off something like this?

"Chuchi, this…is…"

"Insane?"

"Insane doesn't begin to describe it. Admiral Nelson is a decorated officer with a glowing service record. But this makes him out to be some kind of delusional, paranoid despot."

"One intelligence officer I spoke to pointed out that Admiral Nelson had no experience with planning a campaign around a civilian population. They suggested that he was considering the local populace as POWs, and treating them as such."

"I…can almost see that. But the sheer scale of it…I can't imagine how Barriss must have felt, watching all of this going on around her."

"I did manage to find a small amount of information on her activity during the campaign. It wasn't much. A few formal protests lodged against Nelson's orders and policies, a report of a fight between her and some troopers where she'd claimed to see them firing on civilians…and a few commendations from fleet officers for helping to keep things from falling apart entirely. There's no report of open conflict with any Republic Officer, or mention of seditious behavior. If the situation of Chromisto drove her over the edge…then she went quietly."

"Aren't there any other sources of information you can access? What about the logs and reports of the lower-ranked officers that worked with her?"

"The 428th was recently ground down to almost nothing while assaulting a ring of Separatist fortresses guarding the end-point of a hyperspace lane that goes deep into their territory. The survivors were divided to cover losses among other regiments. As for the fleet officers, many were killed in the same campaign, while the rest are either fighting in the outer rim, or are under review, which means they and their records are under tight seal until the investigation is completed."

Ahsoka sighed and leaned back, rubbing a throbbing vein in her forehead.

"Hey, Ventress? I don't suppose you have any idea what happened?"

"I 'left' the Separatists long before Chromistro. Though from what Chuchi described, it sounds like Dooku used Chromistro for one of his favorite tactics."

"What kind of tactic?"

Ventress took a few moments longer then necessary to finish her drink, before turning to give the senator her full attention.

"Publicly, the Separatists court systems by trying to convince them just how corrupt and tyrannical the Republic has become. But Dooku always likes to help…reinforce the Speparatist's image of the Republic whenever possible. He'd make sure that battles were always as messy as possible, especially when civilian populations were involved. A few force tricks here, a bombing there…a dissenting voice quietly silenced. And with the announcement of yet another planet ruined by the Republic's war of aggression, small systems would be lining up to join the confederacy."

"That's...He practically founded the Separatist movement! How could he do such a thing?"

"More than anything else, Dooku is _Sith. _He'll do anything if it helps to advance his agenda. The Chromistrians couldn't supply resources to the war effort, so he had them serve as an example. After sending the entire galaxy to war, what's a few million dead in a backwater system?"

Ventress chuckled. It grew into full blown laughter when she saw the look of utter, horrified disbelief on the idealistic senator's face.

"Stop laughing!"

The plates clattered when Ahsoka slammed a palm into the table. Ventress' laughter died down, but her smile remained.

"It's _not funny, _Ventress."

"Isn't it? Don't tell me your friend actually bought into the image of a…reluctant leader who defends the innocent systems exploited by a corrupt Republic." Ventress glanced back towards the ambassador, who was still trying to process what she'd heard. "Oh, you _did, _didn't you?"

The beginning of a sneer to match Ventress' best began to twist Ahsoka's features.

"You're one to talk, Ventress, if you were stupid enough to think a Sith would keep any kind of promise he made. How did he convince you to become his pet assassin, besides the very nicest kennel to sleep in? You must have been pretty desperate to think he would have delivered on whatever he promised you."

Ventress was distracted when she heard the vitriol laced into Ahsoka's words. Was it was the first time Ahsoka had ever spoken to her like that? Even when she was Dooku's assassin and the two of them had crossed swords, her words had been angry, petulant, but right now…

Ventress dismissed the thought. She'd hit a nerve, that was all.

"What I wanted, little girl…" Ventress refilled her glass, intending to whet her throat before she took control of the conversation again. "Was to hurt the Jedi. They grew corrupt and decadent long before this war, and needed to be punished for their crimes."

"Even if that meant destroying the galaxy in the process?"

Ventress shrugged.

"If you have to ask that question, senator, then you've never hated anyone like I hate the Jedi for what they did to me."

Forgetting Dooku for the moment, Chuchi rolled the words around in her mind. _What they did to me? _A personal vendetta? That was, admittedly, if not better, than a more understandable motivation for joining the Separatists and fighting against the Republic. Pantoran Intelligence had precious little information on Ventress, a trail of scattered appearances that meandered into uncharted areas of the outer rim, a place Jedi rarely ventured. How, then, did she acquire her vendetta against the entire Jedi Order?

"Well…I imagine that's much like our current situation, and how many systems feel about the Republic." Chuchi really wished she knew more about the woman sitting across from her. Personal issues were potential landmines in conversation. Bad enough in a political debate, worse when they have a lightsaber. "But I hope to prove that there are good people working to change things, and how to find better ways of making those changes than war."

Ventress snorted and found something fascinating to look at out the window, but Chuchi persisted.

"After all, you hate the Jedi, but have found a friend in one."

Ventress didn't look back.

"Except that she's not a Jedi anymore. They abandoned her and left her to die."

"You're right, Ventress. They abandoned me. But even if I was expelled, even if the entire Jedi Order was destroyed and I was alone in the galaxy, it wouldn't change anything. I still carry the teachings with me, and more than anything else, that is what makes me a Jedi."

The cup in Ventress' hand shattered.

The two other women at the table flinched in surprise, and watched porcelain shards and hot tea scatter across the table. Ventress didn't seem to even be aware of what she'd done, and looked blankly at her bleeding hand as if she was wondering where her drink had gone.

"Ventress!"

Ventress stirred, swore, and began shaking hot liquid off her skin as she reached for a towel with the other. Chuchi stood up and began rifling through her luggage.

"I know there's a medkit in here somewhere…"

"I'm not a baby, Ky!"

Once again, Ventress froze. Her voice had been a little higher, a little softer, almost…childish.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes…you called Chuchi Ky."

"No." The word was a hiss, and came with a look Ahsoka hadn't seen since the last time Ventress was honestly trying to kill her. "I. Did. Not."

Chuchi hesitantly approached Ventress and opened the medkit, only for Ventress to snatch it out of her hands and disappear back into her room.

Chuchi looked to Ahsoka, who shrugged in response and mouthed a silent 'I don't know.'

In her room, Ventress was crying. It had nothing to do with her hand. She had tried so hard, but the memories wouldn't stay buried. What that damned stupid little girl had said was just too much like something she'd heard from her master a very long time ago.

* * *

"Ahsoka? There's going to be a preliminary meeting, and…" Chuchi turned around, looking towards Ventress' empty seat. "I think I'd feel a lot safer having you nearby."

"I'd be happy to come with you."

"I guess that leaves me to find something interesting to do."

"Ventress?"

Ventress was in the doorway, helmet in hand.

"You know, this wouldn't fool Dooku for even a moment…" She said to no-one in particular. "But I suppose it'll keep the Republic off my back."

"Well…this is a neutral system, so technically neither the Republic nor the Separatists have jurisdiction here…" Chuchi shook slightly as she faced her, still unnerved by the woman's apparently random behavior. "So as long as you behave yourself there shouldn't be a problem."

"Do you mean to say that Dooku couldn't lift a finger against me if I showed up to your little meeting?"

"I suppose…" Having this madwoman in front of the ambassadors was the last thing Chuchi wanted, and the grin growing on Ventress' face was beginning to fray the few nerves she'd kept intact so far. "Why?"

"Oh. yes. I think I'd like to tag along, then."

"Ventress?" Ahsoka had stopped in the middle of buckling on her lightsabers to frown as Ventress tossed her helmet back into her room and headed for the door. "What are you planning?"

* * *

The Nalfean ambassadors representing the trade guilds sat at the head of a large, oval table in a spacious meeting hall, decorated with historical tapestries, horribly expensive knick-knacks, and two very unhappy diplomatic parties. On the left, a Republic Admiral sat flanked by intelligence officers and a handful of Senators with diverse industrial interests, and on the right, Count Dooku sat flanked by a retinue of IG-100 Magnaguard droids standing at attention.

All three groups turned to look as doors slid open to reveal a page, who announced the arrival of the third diplomatic party.

Dooku stood smoothly, putting on his best face for the lucky ambassador. She'd disrupted his plans by surviving the assassin he sent, but that was no reason not to make a good first impression. As the silhouette in the hallway grew closer, something stirred in his mind. There was a familiar presence here…a jedi! So, the senator had arranged for protection. No matter. The plans he had in place would not be…disrupted…by…

"Greetings, ambassadors." Ventress' portrayal of Dooku's character aside, there was no reason for Chuchi not to make a good first impression. "I am honored to know the trust you hold for me by inviting me to assist in making this most crucial decision."

"Asajj Ventress!"

One of the Republic officers was the first to speak up about the figure on Chuchi's left. On her right, Ahsoka tried to keep from fidgeting. Being stared down at by men in uniforms was stirring unpleasant memories.

"She's a Separatist war criminal! What is she doing here?"

"Asajj Ventress is no longer associated with the Confederacy. She is here as my bodyguard, and as a proponent for peace, to show how those who were once enemies can find a better way to settle their differences, without the pain and destruction that war brings."

The Nalfean ambassador leaned forwards in his seat, antennae twitching.

"Is this truth-speak? Have you left the Separatist-military to walk the peacemaker's path?"

"I am sick of war." Ventress paused, and momentarily made an expression like she'd bitten into something sour. "I fought for the Separatists because I believed their cause could offer me something I…needed. Instead, they made me a soldier and gave me nothing but misery. And no matter what they say or offer, resources to consume and bodies to throw into the battlefield are all they want from you too. I urge you, before you choose to take a side in this terrible war, listen to what senator Chuchi has to say. There are better ways to fix the Republic's flaws than with war."

An assassin droids' sonic dampeners couldn't come close to the level of silence that now permeated the hall.

The Republic officers were staring at each other in disbelief.

The Nafean ambassador seemed thoughtful.

Dooku? Dooku was standing very, very still.

Chuchi was formally invited to the table, with Ahsoka and Ventress standing behind her. Both stood silently throughout the proceedings, though someone with sharp eyes would notice that the corners of Ventress' mouth were curled upwards ever-so-slightly, and they remained in place for the next three hours when the meeting was finally adjourned.


	7. Chapter 7

With the diplomatic suites naturally being soundproofed, it was unlikely Dooku could hear what was happening. He could probably sense something was amiss, though.

"Did you see the look on his face?"

Chuchi was having a spot of tea, her grin purely the result of seeing Ahsoka laughing and happy, rather than at the expense of Dooku's discomfort. It was hard to believe what Ventress had said about him. There was very little concrete information available regarding the Sith, beyond that they were some kind of rival sect that had clashed repeatedly with the Jedi over the millennia. That they were known to have the habit of manipulating others to do their dirty work was the main reason Chuchi was even considering believing what Ventress had said. It did explain many discrepancies among the reports on the ongoing war…

"I don't know how he could even talk with his jaw clenching like that."

Ventress was laughing too. It was an honest, spontaneous thing, completely free of the spite and venom she'd begun to associate with the pale woman. Ventress bent over, resting her head momentarily on Ahsoka's shoulder and laughing into the smaller girl's chest, before straightening and suddenly becoming very self-conscious when she realized Chuchi was looking at her. Ventress still shook with residual mirth even as she tried to hide the deliberate intent behind the half-step back she took to put space between them.

Ahsoka clapped Ventress on the shoulder, a very familiar gesture offered to someone who'd once made it her mission to kill her, and fell into a seat. Chuchi passed a cup over, and Ahsoka spilled a few drops before she brought her heaving shoulders under control. After a few moments, Ventress sat down opposite, all but a trace of mirth gone from her face.

"Please, feel free to relax and have a laugh whenever you feel the need. I promise I won't think less of you for it."

Ventress' posture went ramrod straight, and she fumbled the cutlery when Ahsoka snorted into her tea. Ahsoka was looking at her over the rim of her cup, eyes bright with the fresh source of mirth. Ventress kept stiff and pretended – badly – that she was ignoring the other girls with as much imperious distain as she could muster. Chuchi tried to keep her amusement from showing, but Ahsoka's occasional giggle was making it difficult.

It had been slow in coming, but people couldn't help but drop little clues here in there, even by choosing to remain silent. Chuchi's political training had included enough psychological theory that she felt a confident in the things her mind had tagged and relevant.

A personal vendetta of some sort, real or perceived, against the Jedi Order. An alliance with Dooku and the Separatists, presumably because doing so would give the chance, and the excuse, to fight the Jedi. And then Dooku had discarded her, betrayed her. Ventress, seeing a connection between herself and Ahsoka, when the Padawn had been accused of bombing the temple.

When Ahsoka had been…alone? Perceiving the Order as having betrayed her…abandoned her? _Something _in Ahsoka's situation has resonated strongly with Ventress. It had been strong enough to force her to empathize with the Jedi, with someone belonging to the organization she'd hated, someone whom she'd tried to _kill _several times in the past…and now they were acting like two old friends.

Chuchi sighed internally and looked at the two girls out of the corner of her eyes as she pretended to read the day's agenda. People were never so easily classified. Even choosing to believe in Ventress' earlier promise to her, it was impossible to perfectly predict how she would behave, and there were too many lives riding on too many factors for her to trust Ventress to act in any way she could foresee.

Ventress was menacing Ahsoka with a salad fork, and Ahsoka protectively held her spoon in a reverse grip in front of her. The two were bandying back and forth in some obscure Jedi jargon over who would best mangle who with what utensil in which lightsaber form.

Because the most important life of them all was sitting right next to her.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in blissful drudgery, and it allowed Chuchi to get a firmer grip on the Separatist and Republic strategies.

The Republic was mainly appealing to the Nalfean's love of order and structure. Yes, the Republic wasn't perfect. But the Separatists had rebelled against lawful authority and sparked a brutal war, claiming that doing so would somehow benefit the galaxy but only causing immense chaos and destruction. With Nalfean aid, the Republic could put a stop to the violence and destruction that much faster, and then focus on the internal problems.

The separatists were trying a similar tack. They _very regretfully _broke away from the Republic, and fought only in self-defence. There was just too much corruption within the Republic, a result of incestuous power structures that would not allow for reform. Creating a new government outside of the Core's influence was the only option left to them. But if enough worlds and people stood with them, people like the Nalfean, than maybe they would have the clout to force the Republic to address its issues and change things for the betterment of everyone.

And that left Chuchi in the middle. Keeping the Nalfeans out of the war would mean navigating the apparent contradiction that _both _parties were correct. If she could show the Nalfeans the prejudices and flaws that influenced the reasoning behind each agenda, she could illustrate the pointlessness and waste of this war. And perhaps neutrality could accomplish what bloodshed cannot – by refusing to fan the flames of war, the Nalfean could set an example for the rest of the galaxy and encourage both groups to prove the good intentions they claimed by solving their problems diplomatically. Doing so would require that both practice what they preached – The Republic would have to admit to the need for reforms, and the safety of the outer worlds would be assured as a result, encouraging them to disarm.

At the moment, she was literally in the middle, sitting across from the ambassador while the Republic and Separatist delegations sat on either side, always keeping a discreet distance from each other. The clone troopers were eyeing the magnaguards, and she saw tension in their bodies and fingers twitch towards triggers at every clank and whirr. The presence of the soldiers wasn't helping negotiations at all. One misunderstanding could bring the negotiations to an unpleasant end…it didn't help that the droids seemed a little livelier than usual, making jerky, meaningless motions at random. Maybe it was paranoia to think so, but if Dooku had programmed them to antagonize the Republic soldiers to force an incident…

"Pardon me, ambassadors."

"Yes?"

"Before we continue, I have a request."

Republic, Separatist, and Nalfean shared questioning glances, but the Nalfean ambassador gestured for her to continue.

"Why don't we dismiss the guards, gentlemen? This isn't a battlefield."

"The troopers are here for our protection, nothing more."

"And can you say the same for the fleet of star destroyers currently in orbit?"

There was no name for it, only a description. The 'referencing-something-without-openly-telling-or-e ven-looking-at-someone-that-it-was-something-they- needed-to-pay-attention-to' kind of expression Dooku was making right now. Judging by their expression, the Nalfeans fell for the trick hard.

It was quickly followed by denial and counter-accusation. Insinuation followed, and counter-insinuation came inevitably after that. Then blunt insinuation. And all of it topped off with some poorly-veiled threats.

"Gentlemen!" Chuchi interrupted right at the not-quite-sitting-and-about-to-jump-out-of-the-cha ir-in-anger point of the back-and-forth. "Can't you trust our hosts to provide security for these proceedings? I'm sure that with the perceived danger removed, both of you will happily prove your committal to acting only out of necessity, or in self-defense."

Chuchi allowed a small bit of drama to enter her posture as she swept her gaze between the two groups.

"You've both spoken at length on your positions and reasoning for the use of force, but who here is willing to demonstrate that they practice what they preach?"

Tense moments later, Dooku ordered his magnaguards to return to his ship and await further instructions. There was a fraction-of-a-second pause in their response, a mechanical twitch she'd sometimes seen when a droid was given conflicting orders that made Chuchi think her earlier worries hadn't been completely unfounded.

After the droids were gone, it was another few moments before the General ordered the clones to leave and was interrupted by some pasty human in a suit. The general quickly overrode him, and returned to face the table, a badly-faked smile directed towards Dooku.

"And so common decency is bought and paid for with the promise of gain, of saving face in these negotiations." Chuchi addressed the Nalfeans directly, ignoring the looks from either side. "And the threat of public embarrassment wielded as a bludgeon. I apologize for being so crude in my manipulation of the delegations, but there are far too many lives resting on these proceedings to risk the mix of angry words and armed guards."

The Nalfean ambassador sputtered in anger, but Chuchi pressed on.

"I believe that everyone wants peace…" Chuchi spread her arms to indicate the delegations she sat between. "But our fears and prejudices insist that _they _cannot be trusted, that the important first step must be made by the other, who feels exactly the same way, and labors under the same fear. And nothing is done."

His expression turned thoughtful.

"So we are left thinking we have only two choices. Use force to bring the Separatists back into the Republic, a process which has already greatly exacerbated the galaxy's troubles. Or, we overthrow the senate…but destroying the damaged machine does not fix the damaged machine. Who can say that the replacement, instilled in a time of terrible loss and anger, will be any better? Are you all so blind to the inevitable consequences of this war, no matter which side 'wins' that you are unwilling to admit there might be a better way to accomplish your goals?"

The slow clicking of mandibles was the equivalent of a smile, and the debate continued, though both Separatist and Republic emissaries later left that session looking somewhat deflated. One industrialist among the Republic delegation immediately logged onto the holonet stock exchange after returning to his quarters. The near future did not look promising for arms dealers.

* * *

Dooku brooded within the confines of his shuttle. The senator was making it infuriatingly difficult to get the reactions he needed to help the Nalfeans see his version of the Republic.

"It really was unfortunate that she survived…"

His thoughts was interrupted by the slow, clicking steps of a holo-droid, and he dropped to one knee as the lord of the Sith appeared before him.

"Mast-"

"Apprentice! It seem that not only did you fail to kill Ventress as I instructed, but now the entire galaxy watches as one of the Separatist's most famous warriors now stands alongside a Republic Senator and one of the Jedi. _Explain yourself_."

"Master, it is to my shame that I was not more thorough in ensuring Ventress' demise. But Ventress' appearance here despite her apparent martyrdom is no great impediment to our plans."

"How so?"

"Ventress shall serve our cause one more, whether she wishes to or not. No matter how much she pretends otherwise, her heart remains Sith. And to the young senator I shall illustrate the mistake of taking a Sith into her confidence quite clearly."


End file.
